Chapter 194 Qian Renxue Lost Her Hair Due to Governing the Country

On the Douluo Continent, the long river of history flows with countless legends and myths. Special martial arts endow humans with extraordinary strength and talent, creating a unique system structure.

Here, force and development are the mainstream of society. Geniuses and mutated martial arts spirits continue to emerge from the common people, breaking the monopoly of the nobles and becoming new lords one after another.

The lords are the cornerstone of the empire. They lead their subordinates to open up new territories on the vast continent, compete with ferocious spirit beasts for land and resources, produce food and pay taxes, and provide a steady stream of support for the empire's center.

The imperial center relied on these resources to support the royal family and the army and maintain rule and order.

This is a very stable and solid model. Commoners can only rely on "mutation", a random and extreme method, to complete their identity transition, while nobles maintain their advantages through strict bloodline inheritance.

But the good news is that noble children continue to produce "wrong mutations" and bring new martial soul bloodlines into the poor lottery pool, providing more opportunities for the common people.

But since Mu Zhe completely eradicated this stable and solid way of rule during the war of unification, problems have arisen.

He single-handedly overcame all the lords and royal families and established a new regime. He announced the abolition of the aristocratic system and the implementation of equality in martial arts, allowing everyone to have the opportunity to become strong.

However, the disappearance of the old model must be replaced by a new model. Mu Zhe uses 01 intelligent management of the Star Luo Empire to collect various data through ubiquitous bracelets to complete the normal operation of the local Spirit Hall and other systems. .

But when it comes to Qian Renxue, the problems are one after another.

Qian Renxue is very confident in her abilities. After many years of undercover life and being influenced by Emperor Xue Ye, she thinks she has understood the palace struggle and national governance, which is nothing more than personnel power, adjudication power, financial and taxation power, and military power.

But now, there is no difference between having and not having personnel rights. The previous leadership team has been completely eliminated by Mu Zhe. Wuhun Palace's own talent reserve does not have the talent to train in this area, so they are all left to 01? Qian Renxue was unwilling to do so.

01's intelligence is cold and has no warmth, and what would it be if it were all left to 01 Wuhundian and himself? She prefers to run things with people she knows and trusts.

It was a pleasure to use the ruling power, but Qian Renxue was hit hard by the unexpected feedback from various places. She said that after implementing plan 1, she would receive a bunch of executions 3~4~5 in the local area, resulting in various Reporting of Adverse Consequences.

It turned out to be the adverse consequences caused by the old bureaucrats' misunderstanding of administrative orders or their over-enforcement of implementation. It was the silent resistance of the civil service corps to the rulers' determined reforms. This made Qian Renxue murderous, but she also suffered from the fact that she had no alternative.

This made Qian Renxue feel that it might as well be that "the laws of the ancestors are immutable".

The most important and difficult thing to deal with is the power of finance and taxation. The disappearance of the noble lords has completely ruined the system that was originally running so-so. The taxation system needs to be rebuilt.

Today, the main forms of taxation in the empire are commercial taxes, agricultural taxes, and value-added taxes in various service industries. However, this requires a large number of civil servants and grassroots personnel to ensure the operation of the system, so now Qian Renxue is having a headache watching the treasury savings decrease day by day.

After those lords disappeared, the serfs obtained the land, but you can't farm with only land and no farm tools. Those with quick hands and strong strength can take advantage of that chaotic period to snatch some farm tools from big landowners, while those with slow hands can only rely on their own efforts. .

These problems are just primary problems. After all, the agricultural tax will not be seen until the autumn harvest. Other problems are even more serious.

Those knights who were lucky enough to escape on the battlefield returned home and found that the fiefdom conferred on them by the lord was gone, and their small courtyards were also divided. They were so angry that they used force on the spot, and then were belatedly noticed by Wuhundian. Inspection, arrest and trial.

They were locked in a cell, awaiting the Queen's decision. Some people regretted that they did not protect themselves wisely, and some people cursed Qian Renxue bitterly.

As for the other knight masters, it is absolutely impossible for them to be hunters who hunt soul beasts and protect merchants as bodyguards. Knights who have nothing but strength can still earn a little money in the soul fighting arena if they respect order. .

Wearing shabby armor, they competed with other spirit masters in the spirit fighting arena, fighting for a meager bonus.

Listening to the cheers and howls of the audience outside the fighting arena, their hearts were filled with humiliation and unwillingness. This was where they should have been sitting, and they missed the days of glory and prosperity in the past.

Those who plan to make quick money squat on the trade roads to collect "taxes" just like they did when the lords were still there. After all, this is what they did when they were short of money when they became knights.

They disguised themselves as robbers or bandits, intercepted merchants on the trade road, and forcibly demanded part of the goods or money.

They feel there's nothing wrong with it, they feel they deserve it. That's the problem.

In the past, when the lord was there, he only came once in a territory. Without the lord, knights who wanted to "make extra money" would be charged "taxes" as many times as possible. The merchants could only be grateful and insensitive to this kind of risk.

They would rather pile up their goods in warehouses than risk being robbed for transportation.

Now the business tax is finished.

What to do with the remaining part? They can only work hard on the service taxes in the only promising city. As for 01? Qian Renxue has no trust in Mu Zhe, who suddenly appeared and convinced the whole Wuhun Hall.

She would rather believe in her own vision and judgment than a machine without emotion and understanding.

Let a soul guide from nowhere control the financial and taxation system? What's the difference between handing over your lifeblood to others?

Therefore, various city-related laws were constantly issued by Qian Renxue, and the core purpose was to regulate business operations and facilitate the clarification of profits and tax collection.

The system that was originally running well suddenly asked you to make changes and there were a lot of forms and other things that needed to be reported and filled in. This made those people who were doing business in the city complain bitterly, but there were also beneficiaries.

Like Mai Fu, "dwarf", these idle people in society and "dynamic social groups" relied on their own intelligence network and the ability to cheat and deceive all kinds of people, and made a lot of money in this chaotic period.

They used their connections and means to help some merchants and small vendors evade taxes, or provide some false or exaggerated data to reduce their tax burden.

They also used their intelligence network to find out the declaration routines and play the agency business.

And the worse ones are those who deceive those innocent people who have neither vision nor knowledge to adapt to the "New Dynasty's Elegant Politics".

Now Qian Renxue is working hard day and night, but the money is not collected much, and the Wuhun Hall staff below are complaining. Even if many new staff are recruited, they still cannot fully meet the needs of civilians who come to do business.

Every day they have to face a lot of complicated and tedious work, deal with a lot of unreasonable and unfounded complaints, and deal with a lot of difficult and tricky customers. They feel that they are wasting time and energy, doing useless work, and suffering.

Qian Renxue sat in her office in Tiandou City, the capital of the Tiandou Empire, looking at the piles of documents and reports on the table, and her heart was full of helplessness and troubles.

Every morning, a strand of golden hair fell off the bed. She felt that she could not adapt to this new model at all. She felt that she was getting further and further away from the situation she imagined.

She felt that she needed to find a more efficient and fair channel for financial income, so she found her former teacher, Ning Fengzhi.

In the reception room of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi was not surprised by Qian Renxue's arrival. After all, as one of the best businessmen in Douluo Continent, he knew everything about what happened in the empire recently.

He looked at the woman in front of him, who was wearing an imperial robe, with a cold and arrogant temperament, but also faintly revealed anxiety and helplessness, and he couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion in his heart. He still remembered how smart and clever she was, how brave and decisive she was.

Now she is the empress of an empire, but she is facing unprecedented difficulties.

Your Majesty, what are you doing here this time? "Ning Fengzhi asked with a smile, but there was a trace of worry and concern in his eyes.

"Master Ning, Master! "Qian Renxue called softly, with a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. She was both awed and kind to him, grateful and guilty.

"You also know the current situation, right? The empire looks prosperous, but in fact it is already in danger."

"I can't see it." Ning Fengzhi shook his head and said casually.

"The serfs who got the land in the countryside and the people who got rid of the landlords and tax collectors are all praising your greatness. The prosperous scene in the city and the lively scene in the market are all signs of your successful governance?"

"Master, don't make fun of me." Qian Renxue said with a wry smile.

"Now that the taxes and food paid by the local lords are gone, the operation of the entire empire depends on the previous savings and the help of the Spirit Hall. After all, this is not a long-term solution."

"Why not try to use the method of Muzhe, the 'Master' of the Small Samsara Palace who manages the Xingluo Empire? "Ning Fengzhi deliberately mentioned the name that Qian Renxue was most reluctant to hear.

"Teacher, don't mention this matter again!" Qian Renxue immediately became nervous and excited.

She admired and feared Mu Zhe, and his tough and mighty figure on the battlefield was still deeply imprinted in her heart.

"You know I have no confidence or good feelings towards that soul guide. Let a machine from nowhere control my country? How can I be at ease?" Qian Renxue said with gritted teeth.

Ning Fengzhi looked at Qian Renxue's excitement and sighed secretly in his heart. He knew that she had deep grudges and vigilance against Mu Zhe and everything related to him.

"In this case, there is only another way, my majesty." Ning Fengzhi said in a deep voice, with a trace of helplessness and worry in his eyes.

"What way?" Qian Renxue asked vigilantly, feeling the seriousness of Ning Fengzhi's words.

"An extreme and dangerous way. "Ning Fengzhi continued.

"First, you need to completely control all the banks in the Tiandou Empire, and then take back the currency issuance rights of the Wuhun Hall. This step is relatively easy."

"Why do you want to do this?" Qian Renxue asked puzzled.

"Because you need a strong and stable monetary system to support your fiscal revenue and expenditure." Ning Fengzhi explained.

"Now the currency of the Tiandou Empire is issued and managed by various banks and Wuhun Palace, and Wuhun Palace is ultimately controlled by Mu Zhe. If you want to get rid of the influence of Mu Zhe and 01, you must first cut off Their control over the lifeblood of your country’s economy.”

"What happens next? Qian Renxue asked hesitantly.

"After that, you need to issue new currency yourself and force everyone to use it." Ning Fengzhi said.

"You can name the new currency 'Angel' or 'Snow Coin' or whatever you like. You can link the new currency to precious metals such as gold and silver to ensure its value is stable. You can design the new currency to be beautiful. Generous to entice people to use.”

"Sounds pretty good." A hint of interest flashed in Qian Renxue's eyes.

"However, this will also cause a lot of problems." Ning Fengzhi warned.

"For example, some banks in your country may be unwilling to give up their original interests and refuse to cooperate with your currency reform."

"Those cross-border trading partners may not be used to your new currency and require you to use the original Wuhun currency for settlement. These require you to have sufficient authority and means to solve these problems."

"That's not a problem," Qian Renxue said, puffing out her chest.

"I am the Queen of the Tiandou Empire. I have the power and ability to realize my wishes."

"Then, you need to do the second step." Ning Fengzhi said.

"The second step is to set up a tax agency composed of elite soul masters in every large city. Citizens and merchants need to take the initiative to go to the tax agency to declare taxes."

"Those who violate regulations and under-report or fail to report will be subject to heavy fines, while those who refuse to pay taxes will have the tax authorities' spiritual masters come forward to 'reason' with them."

"Sounds cruel." Qian Renxue frowned.

"This is necessary." Ning Fengzhi said.

"If you want to increase your fiscal revenue, you must strengthen your management and supervision of taxation. You can no longer allow some local officials or greedy businessmen to evade or reduce taxes at will like before."

"You have to let everyone know that paying taxes is their duty and responsibility, not their choice and right."

"You have to make everyone feel that if they don't pay their taxes on time and in the amount, they will be severely punished and sanctioned by you."

"Will this cause resentment and resistance from the people?" Qian Renxue asked worriedly. After all, she is still very kind deep down in her heart.

"This is inevitable." Ning Fengzhi said.

"But you can take some measures to mitigate this. For example, you can develop some reasonable and fair tax rates and tax systems that are affordable for people of different income levels and industries."

"Establish some preferential policies for tax exemption or tax reduction, and encourage some behaviors and activities that are beneficial to social and economic development. Charity and education are both worthy of encouragement."

"You can also use part of the tax revenue to improve people's livelihood and public services, repair bridges and roads, renovate slums, build water canals, etc., so that people can see that you have done some good things with tax money."

"Sounds reasonable." Qian Renxue nodded, which reduced the resistance deep in her heart.

"This is not as easy as it sounds my lord." Ning Fengzhi said.

"For example, you need to recruit and train a group of capable, quality and loyal soul masters to form a tax agency, and give them adequate treatment and protection."

"It is also necessary to establish and improve an effective and secure tax information system and prevent it from being tampered with or leaked."

"Last and most important, you need to deal with possible boycotts or violence and maintain your legal authority and social order."

"I can do it." Qian Renxue said confidently. This was not a very difficult thing for herself.

"Then, you need to do the third step." Ning Fengzhi said.

"The third step is to levy stamp duty, value-added tax and other taxes on all large-value transactions."

"Of course, according to the news from the Star Luo Empire, the economic share of workshops and small workshops will become larger and larger in the future. Your Majesty may also consider imposing taxes on the income of these craftsmen."

"Sounds very complicated." Qian Renxue frowned, a trace of doubt and uneasiness flashing in her eyes. She didn't quite understand why Ning Fengzhi proposed such a seemingly unrealistic plan.

"This is necessary." Ning Fengzhi said.

"If you want to fully exploit your country's economic potential, you have to tax transactions and activities reasonably and effectively. You can no longer just tax simple and obvious sources of income, as before."

"You must let everyone know that no matter what kind of business or production they engage in, they must pay corresponding taxes in accordance with regulations. If they want to enjoy the country's market and resources, they must pay the corresponding price for it."

"However, this will also bring a lot of difficulties." Ning Fengzhi said, with a trace of worry and worry in his eyes.

"The empire needs to establish and improve a comprehensive and accurate tax registration and accounting system, and prevent it from being evaded or abused. It needs to formulate and implement a set of strict and fair tax regulations and supervision mechanisms, and prevent them from being violated or abused."

"It all seems feasible, teacher"

Qian Renxue was quite moved after hearing this, and a trace of determination and confidence flashed in her eyes. Doing so can free yourself from dependence and constraints on external forces, and allow you to truly control your country's finances and economy.

Confident Qian Renxue felt that she had enough wisdom and ability to achieve this goal.

"But these are not simple things that can be established and completed overnight as you imagine. There are also a lot of problems to be solved, such as talent development, legal improvement, social adaptation, etc."

Ning Fengzhi wanted Qian Renxue to give up when faced with difficulties. If other answers were not feasible, then the only answer left was to choose Muzhe's system.

But unfortunately, his disciple was completely unaware of the hardships ahead and resolutely chose this thorny road. Did he make things worse?